Does the cheapest Jaguar live up to its iconic status?

The Jaguar XF offers high emotional appeal with performance to match, writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com

Luxury cars are in high demand in India even though the automobile market is seeing a slowdown.

Most buyers opt for 4-cylinder diesel powered cars as they are priced well and return good fuel economy.

Earlier this year, Jaguar started local assembly of its cheapest car in India, the XF, giving it a 4-cylinder diesel engine. The Jaguar XF 2.2 is here to give its German rivals a run for their money.

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The Jaguar XF is a very attractive car. The vehicle boasts of sharp lines and the right use of chrome all around.

The headlights have boomerang style day time running lights and the attention to detail in the lights is truly worth noting.

The XF 2.2 gets smaller 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels. From the side profile the couple like roofline makes this Jaguar look like a wild cat ready to leap.

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The interiors of the Jaguar XF are very unique and quality levels are excellent. The use of materials has been very tastefully done and cabin feels rich.

The silver finish on the dashboard and the wood finish on the centre console looks very classy.

Even though the XF 2.2 is the base variant in the XF lineup, equipment levels are generous and you get a touchscreen infotainment system, electric seats, rear view camera, electric sunroof, etc.

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The easy to read instrument cluster has a multi-information display, which carries an array of data.

The chrome rings on the speedometer and tachometer pods look very stylish.

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The Jaguar XF doesn't have a gear lever, instead it uses a rotary knob which rises up when you start the vehicle. The start-stop button is placed conveniently near the gear selector.

What makes the XF even more special are the AC vents. They remain closed when the car is switched off and rise out once you start it.

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The interiors of the Jaguar XF are a good place to be in. What really makes it even more upmarket than its rivals is the attention to detail.

The front cabin lights are touch enabled. The XF is the only car in its segment to come with a full sized spare wheel using an alloy.

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The seats of the Jaguar XF are very comfortable and offer good support all around. The rear seat is best for two due to the transmission hump.

The front passenger seat can be adjusted from behind to increase rear legroom even further.

Legroom at the rear is good and although it's not class leading, tall passengers will have little to complain about.

The headroom is not the best though as the sloping roof does eat into rear seat headroom.

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Powering the Jaguar XF is a 2179cc, 4-cylinder engine which belts out 190 PS of power at 3500 RPM and 450 Nm of torque at 2000 RPM.

This engine offers strong performance and the XF sprints from 0-100 km/hr in 8.5 seconds.

There is a minor amount of turbo lag post which the XF pulls strongly and offers good drivability, both in town and on open roads. The motor revs freely and has a redline at 4200 RPM.

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Paired to the 2.2-litre engine is an 8-speed automatic gearbox which shifts cogs quickly but isn't the fastest on downshifts.

You can manually take control of things via the steering mounted paddles. The XF is quite frugal and returns a mileage of 9-10 kmpl.

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The Jaguar XF 2.2 offers good ride quality but is a bit bouncy at high speeds over broken tarmac.

The car handles well but the steering is not as responsive as some of its rivals. However the balance between ride and handling is very good.

The brakes offer good bite and the car sheds speeds in a surefooted manner. NVH levels are excellent inside the cabin.

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The Jaguar XF is a very appealing vehicle, both inside-out. With a smaller engine under the hood, the XF still offers good levels of performance with dynamics being well balanced.

The XF really makes the occupants feel special and at Rs. 46.64 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai), the Jaguar XF is attractively priced to woo buyers away from rivals.